How To Score A Half Price Ticket On WestJet

I’m headed to Vancouver on August 17 for WordCamp Vancouver. I’m just flying in for the day to learn some tips for my blogs. In on the early flight, home late. The following weekend, I will drive to Vancouver with the whole family to spend a week with friends and relatives on the coast.

I was reading some posts from friends who also have a family when I got an idea. Our friends will make the marathon 10 hour drive with their kids, leave them at the grands, and then turn around and come back – all in the same weekend. A week or 10 days later, they’ll do the reverse to pick the kids up and bring them home. The kids get some summer time with the grands, the parents get a break too.

I mentioned to my wife we should do that next summer, and then it clicked about my travel plans. I could fly the boys down with me on a one-way ticket, leave them with their grandparents, and then when we drive back on the 24th, we can spend time with them and they can come back in the car.

Brilliant.

When I called WestJet, they told me about a special fare they have for people accompanying minors on a flight. Basically, the kids pay the full one-way fare, but the adult pays half the return fare (plus taxes for both legs). In other words, it’s a one-way fare and a bit, for a return trip! What a deal!! It’s basically a half price ticket on WestJet!

The fine print: You need to spend at least 2 hours at the destination, and return within 24. In my case, leaving at 7a and returning at 9p, I fully qualify for a half price ticket on WestJet. I get to go to my conference, the boys get to see their grandparents, and my wife and I get a week alone without the kids.

So .. patio drinks after work? Restaurants every night? Golfing? Or will we finally get to cleaning out the garage, basement, and closets?